Bluerauder
04-15-2012, 05:07 PM
Decided to take the family out to dinner tonight and take the Marauder for a little weekly exercise. After dinner, we all get into the car and I turn the key expecting that soothing V8 roar. Instead, I hear/feel a definite "snap" and the key just moves freely back and forth ...... nothing. Lights on the dash are lit so it must have gone part way before the ignition lock broke. Probably just worn out after 90,000 miles and countless starts.
I disconnected the battery waiting for the Roll-Back to show up so it didn't sit in the accessory position overnight. One hour later, we are back home and the Bluerauder is sitting in the shop for repair.
Hopefully, it'll be back on the road soon without too much $ damage. ;)
I haven't heard too much about ignition problems on the Marauder before ... maybe this is a warning to other daily drivers approaching a high number of start cycles. :dunno: There was no warning .... just a snap and it was done.
Edit --- The car is home (1 day in the shop). Total damage was $567.45 (not counting the $65.00 tow/roll-back charge and $20.00 tip for the driver for extra care and caution with my MM.)
The problem was a $21.53 part (Steering Column Lock Actuator, Actuator Assembly, Part # F2DZ-3E723 A). However, it took 5-6 hours of labor to pull the steering column, disassemble and replace the part then put it all back together again. Not bad that it was only out of service for 1 day. She's home now. From the explanation on the actuator, a plastic clip or nub broke off requiring replacement of the entire actuator. Sounds similar to the damn plastic gear issue on the pedal adjusters. Guess no one expected any of us to keep our cars for nearly 10 years before the plastic crap started to fail.
As a bonus, I happened to have the plastic dash surround in the trunk. Got this from BODYMAN a couple of weeks ago. This is the trim piece that goes around the instrument cluster, radio, and air vents. My old one had split just above the steering column where it is very thin. It got cracked about a year ago. Now it is completely separated. When I called this morning, I asked the service rep to replace that trim piece since they were fiddling with that area anyway. The part is in the trunk in a 3 foot x 9 inch x 9 inch box. So that is fixed too. No charge except that the labor is probably rolled into the above. :D
I disconnected the battery waiting for the Roll-Back to show up so it didn't sit in the accessory position overnight. One hour later, we are back home and the Bluerauder is sitting in the shop for repair.
Hopefully, it'll be back on the road soon without too much $ damage. ;)
I haven't heard too much about ignition problems on the Marauder before ... maybe this is a warning to other daily drivers approaching a high number of start cycles. :dunno: There was no warning .... just a snap and it was done.
Edit --- The car is home (1 day in the shop). Total damage was $567.45 (not counting the $65.00 tow/roll-back charge and $20.00 tip for the driver for extra care and caution with my MM.)
The problem was a $21.53 part (Steering Column Lock Actuator, Actuator Assembly, Part # F2DZ-3E723 A). However, it took 5-6 hours of labor to pull the steering column, disassemble and replace the part then put it all back together again. Not bad that it was only out of service for 1 day. She's home now. From the explanation on the actuator, a plastic clip or nub broke off requiring replacement of the entire actuator. Sounds similar to the damn plastic gear issue on the pedal adjusters. Guess no one expected any of us to keep our cars for nearly 10 years before the plastic crap started to fail.
As a bonus, I happened to have the plastic dash surround in the trunk. Got this from BODYMAN a couple of weeks ago. This is the trim piece that goes around the instrument cluster, radio, and air vents. My old one had split just above the steering column where it is very thin. It got cracked about a year ago. Now it is completely separated. When I called this morning, I asked the service rep to replace that trim piece since they were fiddling with that area anyway. The part is in the trunk in a 3 foot x 9 inch x 9 inch box. So that is fixed too. No charge except that the labor is probably rolled into the above. :D